This hot baked pizza dip recipe is the best appetizer! Made with ricotta cheese, cream cheese and mozzarella cheese, this easy layered dip is perfect for game day, a holiday party or family get together.
This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for content.
Ooey and gooey, this cheesy pizza dip with pepperoni is a fun snack or appetizer with delicious flavor. I like serving it as an appetizer for halloween, super bowl or just a fun Friday movie night with friends.
It is a huge hit with my kids and the perfect appetizer served with chili, italian pesto bread or spinach fettuccine.
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🍕 Ingredient notes
- Cheese - I recommend using full fat versions of all of the cheeses for this easy dip. Low fat or non fat varieties tend to have more moisture in them and so the dip may not melt together as well.
- Sauce - I typically have a batch or two of my old school italian gravy in the freezer for this cheesy dip. Your favorite store bought marinara sauce or pizza sauce can also be used.
- Pepperoni - You can either slice or own or get pre-sliced pepperoni. Mini pepperonis could also be used.
- Bread - Breadsticks or garlic knots are my favorite thing to serve with this dip. Garlic bread, crackers, pita chips or bagel chips would also be good with it.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Vegetarian - Omit the pepperoni for a vegetarian pizza dip.
- White Pizza - Replace the marinara with alfredo sauce for a white pizza dip.
- Toppings - Swap out the pepperoni for your favorite pizza toppings, such as mild or spicy sausage, black olives, green peppers, ham or pineapple.
- Cheese - Want extra cheese? Try adding smoked provolone, parmesan cheese, or cheddar cheese to the cheese filling or on top.
- Spicy - Add ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes with the cheese filling to zest this dip up a bit.
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, mix together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl. Add in the seasonings and mix everything together until the spices are evenly incorporated throughout the cheese mixture.
Grease a baking dish, pie plate or cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Spread the cream cheese mixture in an even layer and then spread the marinara or pizza sauce on top of it.
Sprinkle the marinara with the remaining mozzarella cheese and then layer on the slices of pepperoni. Bake the dip in a 375˚ oven for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbly!
Serve the hot baked pizza dip with your favorite breadsticks, garlic knots or toasted baguette slices!
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in the Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Don't forget to split the mozzarella cheese. Half of it gets mixed with the other cheeses and spices and then the other half gets sprinkled on top.
- For best results, bring the cream cheese to room temperature or make sure it is at least softened. This will help it to easily mix together with the other cheeses. If you forget, you can always use a hand mixer to easily blend everything together.
- When choosing bread or crackers for this dip, try to use larger or sturdier pieces that won't break apart easily when dipped.
⏲️ Make ahead instructions
The pizza dip can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead of time. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until 30 minutes before baking time. Remove it from the refrigerator and allow to sit out a room temperature while the oven preheats and then bake as directed. Cooking temperatures may be a bit longer, so look for the cheese to be melted and bubbly around the edges.
🥡 Storage suggestions
Leftover pizza dip can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. The dip can be reheated in the oven or microwave until warm and melty.
For a quick overview of this recipe, check out my web story for this hot baked pizza dip with pepperoni!
🍕 More pizza recipes
If you loved this easy pizza dip recipe, check out these other delicious pizza recipes that I know you will love too!
📖 Recipe
Pizza Dip with Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 Tablespoon italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup italian gravy or pizza sauce
- 2 ounces pepperoni sliced
- breadsticks, garlic knots or toasted baguette slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and grease a shallow baking dish or pie plate with baking spray or butter.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese and mix together.
- Add in italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir everything together so the seasonings and cheese are well incorporated.
- Spread the cheese mixture evenly into the prepared dish and top with the italian gravy. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and top with pepperoni slices.
- Bake the pizza dip in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dip is bubbly.
- Serve dip with breadsticks, toasted baguette slices or crackers.
Notes
- Use full fat versions of all of the cheeses for best results.
- Don't forget to split the mozzarella cheese. Half goes in the filling and the other half goes on top.
- Bring the cream cheese to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Use larger or sturdier pieces of bread or crackers for dipping so they don't break apart easily when dipped.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetarian - Omit the pepperoni slices.
- White Pizza - Replace the marinara with alfredo sauce.
- Toppings - Add sausage, black olives, ham, peppers or pineapple.
- More Cheese - Add smoked provolone, parmesan cheese, or cheddar cheese.
- Sauce - Use homemade sauce, store bought marinara or pizza sauce can be used.
Tricia
Is garlic salt more potent than garlic powder? I put in a Tablespoon of garlic salt and it was super salty.
Amanda
Yes, garlic powder is just ground up dehydrated garlic, whereas garlic salt is typically 3 parts salt and 1 part ground up garlic.
Valerie
Would fresh mozzarella work with this? It looks so good!
Amanda
Yes, absolutely. I would chop it into smaller pieces for the filling part and then you can put some slices on top as well!
Jeri
This dip was amazing, better than anything I ever had in any restaurant! My whole family loved it!
Amanda
Thank you Jeri, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jessica
This dip will be perfect for our Halloween celebration this Sunday - we always do a bunch of snacks and appetizers. My kids are going to love it and so will I. The gooey cheese looks absolutely irresistible. *drooling*
Amanda
Awesome, it's great for Halloween - can wait to hear how it turns out!
Lillian
This is a perfect snack for our Friday nights! It's so good!
Amanda
Agreed, thanks Lillian!
Oscar
Love all the ingredients in this recipe. This pizza dip looks amazing. Can't wait to make it this weekend.
Amanda
Thanks Oscar, let me know how it turned out!
Brittany Fiero
I could eat this every day! It’s a great dish to serve when entertaining too!
Amanda
Haha, me too! thank you!
Jean
This is such a treat and perfect for our movie nights!
Amanda
Great idea!
Agnieszka
I absolutely love this idea! Thank you.
Amanda
You're welcome, enjoy!
Alexandra
This dip is so delicious - so tasty and perfect for entertaining.
Amanda
Thank you!
Kayla DiMaggio
This pizza dip is amazing! I can't get enough of this! So delicious!
Amanda
Thanks you for trying the recipe, I'm so glad you enjoyed it
Makhaya
Ok this dip looks DIVINE!! Definitely making this. Thanks so much for sharing!
Amanda
It's soooo good. Let me know how it turns out for you!
YtheWait
Love Pizza!!!!!!!!!
Amanda | Saporito Kitchen
Sooooo goood 🙂